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Posted By: John06 Amp Advice - 06/14/06 07:28 PM
Hi everyone
I am considering buying a pair of M80's but I am also looking for an amp that would drive these babies. Can anyone give me a suggestion what amp would go well with these speakers? I like a lot of power and my amp budget is in $1000 - $1500 range.

Thanks a lot in advance
Posted By: Wid Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 07:35 PM

Is this for a stereo setup or an h/t setup ? What are you using for a preamp ?
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 07:46 PM
it's a stereo set up. I DJ so there is a DJ mixer (Stanton RM-100) that would be connected. Having a traditional receiver between an amp and DJ Mixer seems redundant to me, but hey I'm
a newbie so I may be wrong Basically what I'm trying to do is have a home DJ setup that would sound great. I'll probably upgrade my mixer sometime down the road but figured it's best to start with speakers and amp.
Posted By: RickF Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 07:53 PM
Okay Wid....tell John06 what 2 ch amp would fit well within that budget AND give him a little over 300 watts with the 4 ohm 80s.
Posted By: Wid Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 07:57 PM
I'm not familar with DJ equipment so I don't know how that set up would work.

Some amps that I would suggest is Rotel , Parasound , Outlaw and Odyssey
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 07:59 PM
Quote:

Okay Wid....tell John06 what 2 ch amp would fit well within that budget AND give him a little over 300 watts with the 4 ohm 80s.




exactly looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say.
Posted By: Wid Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 08:00 PM
Quote:

Okay Wid....tell John06 what 2 ch amp would fit well within that budget AND give him a little over 300 watts with the 4 ohm 80s.




Smarta$$
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 08:07 PM
Quote:

I'm not familar with DJ equipment so I don't know how that set up would work.

Some amps that I would suggest is Rotel , Parasound , Outlaw and Odyssey





I've actually been considering Odyssey Stratos. Anyone have experienced this amp with M80's?

Are there any Rotel, Parasound, Outlaw and Odyssey models you'd especially recommend (to go with M80's)?
Posted By: Wid Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 08:25 PM
If you're looking at 300 watts per channel or so look at the Rotel RB 1080, Parasound 2250, Outlaw 2200 M block and from Odyssy the Stratos.
Posted By: HomeDad Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 08:30 PM
This is supposed to be a pretty good amp that can be upgraded to a 3 to 7 channel if desired. LINK
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 09:20 PM
I have used Outlaw Monoblocks with my 80s with great satisfaction!
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 09:48 PM
Quote:

I have used Outlaw Monoblocks with my 80s with great satisfaction!




Hi bugbitten!

Would you be able to explain the difference between M200 and 2000? Btw which ones do you own? I heard M200 switches between Class AB to Class G performance at certain volume? What does this exactly mean in terms of sound quality? Is this the case with 2200?
Thanx a lot guys
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/14/06 11:17 PM
The new version (M2200) has balanced inputs.

This review is a write-up about the NHT A-1 version of the same amp.

Check it out. More later.
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/15/06 12:32 AM
Quote:

Quote:

I have used Outlaw Monoblocks with my 80s with great satisfaction!




Hi bugbitten!

Would you be able to explain the difference between M200 and 2000? Btw which ones do you own? I heard M200 switches between Class AB to Class G performance at certain volume? What does this exactly mean in terms of sound quality? Is this the case with 2200?
Thanx a lot guys




I have the M200, the earlier version. I have not noticed a change in sound quality at any levels on my M80s, so I assume the M200s are doing their jobs.

The M2200 is the same A/B/G.

It is easy to get a listen because the Outlaws have the same 30 day policy.

All that and above said, I switched to a Monster 3 channel just recently. The M200s are on the surrounds. The Monster was a easy buy at $900 so I made a switch. Can I tell much difference? Not really! Maybe a little more responsive, but I would never hesitate to recommend the M2200s.
Posted By: St_PatGuy Re: Amp Advice - 06/15/06 01:11 AM
John, all good suggestions so far. I have the smaller Odyssey Khartago amp and have been very pleased with it. Klaus at Odyssey is a great guy and if you call him up he will try to steer you in the right direction and try to fit your needs.
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/15/06 05:43 AM
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I have used Outlaw Monoblocks with my 80s with great satisfaction!




Hi bugbitten!

Would you be able to explain the difference between M200 and 2000? Btw which ones do you own? I heard M200 switches between Class AB to Class G performance at certain volume? What does this exactly mean in terms of sound quality? Is this the case with 2200?
Thanx a lot guys




I have the M200, the earlier version. I have not noticed a change in sound quality at any levels on my M80s, so I assume the M200s are doing their jobs.

The M2200 is the same A/B/G.

It is easy to get a listen because the Outlaws have the same 30 day policy.

All that and above said, I switched to a Monster 3 channel just recently. The M200s are on the surrounds. The Monster was a easy buy at $900 so I made a switch. Can I tell much difference? Not really! Maybe a little more responsive, but I would never hesitate to recommend the M2200s.




What kind of a preamp would you recommend to go with M2200s & Axiom M80?
BTW you are a great help so thanx a lot
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/15/06 05:25 PM
What kind of set-up are you looking for, 2 channel, HT?
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/15/06 05:47 PM
Quote:

What kind of set-up are you looking for, 2 channel, HT?




It will be 2 channel to begin with, but I'd like to have an option/flexibility to upgrade to 5.1 or 7.1 some time down the road, so maybe some preamp that would have both stereo and HT mode would be nice.
Posted By: LHawes Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 01:17 AM
John I don't know if posting this link is considered heresy but over at AVS they have been discussing the Crown xls 402 and 602's for a couple of years. Plenty of power and a real bargain - something you might want to explore. To boil down the 110 pages would be impossible but basically a couple guys tried the pro audio Crowns and loved the results.

$250.00 will get 200 something watts and $350 will get you over 300 watts per channel. Not much to lose at those prices. I haven't heard them but your question just sparked the idea. Hope that helps.

Larry

Pro Audio Crown Link
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 01:42 PM
For starters I would look at the Outlaw's 990 and 970 and read their forums. They get good reviews for 2 channel as well as HT.
Posted By: Tarun Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 02:52 PM
I am actually considering getting 2 x 2200's for my M80's so I can reduce the draw from my AVR.

624 for two shipped is not bad...and a 30 day trial window is good enough to realize if they are necessary or not.

-Tarun
Posted By: Spoiler Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 06:33 PM
That's what I did to drive my M80's. I'm happy with them! Let us know what you think!
Posted By: Tarun Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 07:35 PM
Placed the order. I have been told MY HK AVR7300 is plenty..but I have been having some power related issues in regard to dvd viewiing through the AVR. I figured I would try the monoblocks to see what the end result is.
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 08:15 PM
Thank a lot guys You are a great help. One more question. What is a difference between preamp and receiver?
Is that the same thing?
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 08:19 PM
Very simplistic answer. The receiver has everything the preamp has plus built in amplifiers.

Outlaw's 970 Prepro is the same as the Outlaw 1070 Receiver except the 1070 has amplification.
Posted By: Tarun Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 08:20 PM
Pre-Amp is your Audio Video processor.
A receiver can be a preamp if it has enough outputs for amplifiers. In other words. If your receiver is a 5.1 system...then you need to have dedicated outputs for 5.1 channels so you can attach amps.

7.1 - 8 outputs.
etc.

Hope that helps.
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 09:04 PM
Ah ok. Now it's a bit more clear. Say I bought Outlaw 1070 Receiver. Can I combine it with 2 of their 2200 monoblocks?
Then sice Outlaw 1070 Receiver has it's own amplification I can add speakers and directly hook them into 1070 without needing to buy more amps later when I decide to go 5.1 or 7.1?
Basically what I'm thinking is get a pair of M80 speakers, two Outlaw 2200 monoblocks and Outlaw 1070 receiver and enjoy 2 speaker set up for a while.
Then after a while just get additional speakers for 5.1 or 7.1 set up and hook them directly into Outlaw 1070 without having to buy more amps.
Would this work?
Posted By: richeydog Re: Amp Advice - 06/16/06 09:31 PM
Yes, you can add amplification to a receiver as long as it has pre-amp outputs...which the 1070 has. Then you would let the receiver power the rest of the speakers.

If you are intent on getting the outlaw receiver, I would first hook it up to your m80's and see what it can do. It should be able to drive your speakers to really loud listening levels before hitting its limits.

If you feel you need more power after further testing, go ahead and order those monoblocks and rock out!
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/17/06 04:07 PM
While you are looking, look at Denon 2805 - $399.

It's B-stock, but the price is hard to beat for a starter HT.
Posted By: John06 Re: Amp Advice - 06/17/06 08:54 PM
WOW good call bugbitten!!! Would this Denon receiver have preamp outputs? How would you compare this Denon to Outlaw 1070?
Which one would you choose?
Posted By: bugbitten Re: Amp Advice - 06/17/06 09:38 PM
Yes, it has the preouts.

I have the Denon 3805 which I bought B stock because it is rated at 120 per channel. Later I added the monoblocks. Had I to do it again and just startng, I would buy the 2805 and the monoblocks.

My goal at this time is a pre like the 990 to go with my 3 channel amp and monoblocks. I hope to ebay my 3805 sometime.
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